Norman Rockwell's Lazybones, variously titled Taking a
Break and Boy Asleep with Hoe, is nothing short of a
trifecta for collectors. It stands as one of the artist's first
Saturday Evening Post covers, produced in 1919 when he was
only twenty-five. Lazybones illustrates not simply the
popular Rockwell subject of childhood, but the quintessential
American prankster-adventurer, Huck Finn; with his straw hat and
bandana, work shirt, and tattered pants with suspenders, Lazybones
comes straight out of the pages of Mark Twain's novel. Not least,
the painting has its own wild back-story, ripped from the
headlines. The author Deborah Davis describes in an online article
for Julius Lowy Frame and Restoring Company the strange and
marvelous history of the painting, which contributes to its
mystique:

"In 1919, when artist and illustrator Norman Rockwell was
twenty-five- years old and starting out on his legendary career, he
painted a whimsical cover for The Saturday Evening Post.
Lazybones depicted a chubby adolescent boy playing hooky
from his gardening chores -- his eyes closed, his mouth slack, his
faithful dog asleep on his thigh, and his straw hat and hoe tossed
aside while he naps.

"The painting (not considered valuable at the time) hung in a New
Jersey man's recreation room...until the fateful day in the early
1950s when Robert Grant came over to play pool. Grant inadvertently
tore the Rockwell with his cue stick and ended up paying his friend
between $50 and $100 dollars for the damaged painting, which he
happily hung in his home.

"Lazybones became a Grant family treasure, but the sleeping
adolescent's adventures were far from over. In 1976, burglars broke
into the house and stole a television, a coin collection, and the
Rockwell. They left no clues and the Grants despaired at ever
finding their beloved painting.

"Forty years later, the Grants told their story to an FBI agent who
specialized in art theft. The agency issued a press release on the
anniversary of the robbery, and it caught the attention of an
antiques dealer who had what he thought was a damaged Rockwell
reproduction hanging in his kitchen. He delivered Lazybones
to the FBI and, miraculously, the long-lost painting was reunited
with the Grant family. They knew it was their painting when they
saw the pool cue hole that had never been repaired."

Since its rediscovery, Lazybones has been meticulously
restored by Lowy's conservation team, who removed layers of yellow
varnish and surface dirt and repaired the notorious divot inflicted
by the pool cue. Now returned to its original vibrancy,
Lazybones has become even more of a collector's prize - and
one that can be obtained through Heritage.

We wish to thank Deborah Davis, author of nine books, including
Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X and
The Trip: Andy Warhol's Plastic Fantastic Cross-Country
Adventure, for her contribution to this essay.

A copy of The Saturday Evening Post cover that depicts the
present work accompanies the present work.

The present work is being sold in frame provided by the consignor.
It has been exhibited in a carved and painted frame on loan from
Julius Lowy Frame and Restoring Company. Please inquire with the
department for details.

Condition Report*:
Condition report available upon request.

*Heritage Auctions strives to provide as much information as possible but encourages in-person inspection by bidders.
Statements regarding the condition of objects are only for general guidance and should not be relied upon as complete statements of fact, and do not constitute a representation,
warranty or assumption of liability by Heritage. Some condition issues may not be noted in the condition report but are apparent in the provided photos which are considered part of the condition report.
Please note that we do not de-frame lots estimated at $1,000 or less and may not be able to provide additional details for lots valued under $500.
All lots are sold "AS IS" under the Terms & Conditions of Auction.